This past weekend, we had our first visitors of the year: two former colleagues of mine from Winnetka. It's always nice to have friendly faces in London and catch up about home, so I can't wait for our two other upcoming visitors this coming weekend and then the weekend after.

What was particularly nice about having our first two friends visit was the fact that they had come to visit last year, so they didn't need to see all the tourist attractions. Instead, they wanted to venture into the countryside to a town that has been on my list of places to explore: Dover, England {White cliffs country}.

About a two hour long train-ride away from London, Dover is a friendly, but sleepy coastal town reminiscent of Ramsgate, where Ross + I mini-mooned. We went on a Sunday so almost everything was closed for the day {I mean everything except for a couple pubs + McDonald's}.

So there wasn't much to do besides grab a quick bite to eat, briefly walk through the historic, but closed town, and see the white cliffs of Dover. We initially thought we could walk from the train station to the cliffs, but there weren't any footpaths and it was a pretty far walk {the reviews we had read didn't really explain that important detail}. In any case, we quickly learned from incredibly friendly locals to hail a cab to the cliff side and from there, hike along some of the trails.

Except for the bustling port, which I'm assuming contributes to most of this small town's employment + economy, the entire view was serene + breathtaking. Just have a look at our pictures:

Looking down from the walking path is slightly dizzying. Word to the wise: Don't get too close to the edge.

Can't get enough pictures of the white cliffs!

We also had some great views of the Dover Castle from afar {photos above}.

Taking in the scenery, while listening to the White Cliffs of Dover song ;).

The giant port {above + below}.

Overall, the day trip was a bit of a hike, but it was so nice to get out of the bustling city, enjoy nature, and meet some welcoming locals.

Some people visit cities to learn about its architecture or art or fashion. I go for the food {and drinks!}. I think you can tell a lot about a city's culture + people simply by tasting its local dishes, the places off the beaten path. So, needless to say, I was excited to take Ross on his second date of my Valentine's Day gift: the East End London Food Tour.

The East End of London, particularly Shoreditch, reminds me of the West Loop {or what the West Loop was 5 years ago}; it's slowly becoming gentrified but still fighting to maintain its unique character. There are independent owners + local shops that you can't typically find anywhere else in London; likewise, you can't find the big restaurant chains in Shoreditch. Because of this, they tend to have unique + tastier restaurants.

So our tour was in the Shoreditch-area and we tried the most popular cuisines of London:1. Indian {I have come to the conclusion that I'm just not a fan}2. Fish + chips {despite popular belief this is not the country's national dish, as its curry}3. Salt Beef Bagel4. Chocolate + Donuts

Our first stop was an Indian bakery, where we tried samosas. I'm not a fan of the curry flavor, so I was not a fan of the chicken curry samosa, but the spinach samosa was good {I mean it had cheese + fried dough, so what do you expect?}

Next, we headed to a renowned fish + chips restaurant, which I was excited about because I have yet to find a good place to take visitors. While this restaurant had more succulent fish than fried crust around the fish, I was still not pleased to see the fish was fried with the skin on it. Yuck.

Then, we headed to my favorite place of all: a Jewish deli, opened 24 hours, 7 days a week, where you can get a famous salt beef bagel. The spicy mustard + the pickle + the juicy beef {which I typically don't like} is un {pause} real. Ross said the one at Borough Market is better; however, I liked this one way more than the market sandwich, so I'm interested to hear what upcoming visitors think!

Lastly, we stopped for some dessert. First, we went to an unbelievably rich chocolate place that had the most decadent + interesting flavors.

This little guy was right around the corner from the chocolate shop and seemed like an appropriate mascot for the day ;).

And we also visited a donut shop that claimed to have the "best" donuts and cronuts. To be honest, Glazed + Infused in Chicago still takes the cake, but I'm glad we paid a visit to The Dum Dum Donutterie. Not only did I learn that cronuts are better for you because they are baked and not fried, but we got to visit a notable building: BoxPark, a market place made out of shipping containers.

I would highly recommend the tour; it was a fun day out with some "frouples" {I love this term, which I learned from a new friend!} on a rare, beautiful spring day in London. AND, the best part is that the tour is *free* {technically, you just tip} and all the food is surprisingly cheap. Ross + I split all the meals and we spent less than 30GBP trying all the different dishes.

There are about a handful of things I absolutely love about London {shocking, right?}:

1. Markets of any kind {duh}2. The flowers3. Public transportation + walking, although I miss wearing heels {I've slowly stopped since it's not conducive to walking or train/bus riding}4. The quaint side streets + mews5. Picnics in the charming parks

I've written a lot about the markets, and I've taken many pictures of the flowers here, but I'm surprised I have yet to write about the flowers.

At any point in the year, you can find the most beautiful bouquets-- whether sold at a local, street stand, a floral market or shop, outside a tube stop, or even at a cafe. And because there seems to be an abundance of floral shops, you will always find someone carrying a colorful bunch walking down the street.

Truth be told, I was never a flower a person until after our wedding {in fact, I told my amazing florist I wanted white flowers of any kind as long as it didn't exceed X amount of dollars}. It's only until recently that I started paying close attention to these pops of color everywhere {could also be me desperately grasping for any sign of spring}.

Needless to say, I hope the photos below show you exactly why London's flowers are creeping their way onto the short list of "my favorite things about living in Europe."

Flower stand outside the South Kensington tube stop. Definitely creates some curbside appeal to the dirty train station ;).

This little pup even loved watching flower-market-goers pick their bunches of happiness!

Local, flower store. Just how cute is this place?

One of the many flower stands on a street corner.

The flowers above are sold at a cafe right down the street from my school. So you can pop in for a "cuppa", a slice of cake or some delicious salad, and a bouquet of flowers ;). What could be better than that?

I'm sure by now you know I love any kind of market. I love seeing small businesses working hard, the trinkets, the food, the people, and most importantly, I love experiencing the vibrant, community atmosphere. Most markets we've found that are close to us {within walking distance} only pop-up on the weekend. And while I love Borough Market, it is incredibly crowded any time we venture out there {whether that's during the week or on the weekend}.

That's why I was so happy to find the Southbank Centre Market, a food market that is just over the Thames River from the Embankment tube stop {so about a 20-minute ride from our flat} and a market that is open Friday through Monday {YES! Even on a Sunday, when most markets are closed!}.

We went to go check it out last weekend, sadly after we had already eaten {poor decision}, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't body-to-body packed and the variety of food looked absolutely delicious. We will definitely be coming back to try this market {maybe even this coming weekend ;)}.

I will be back for some mac + cheese and those tasty paninis below...Hopefully, not on the same day ;).

So this post is a couple weeks overdue, but better late than never, right? As I've mentioned in a few other posts, if you've been following along, I feel that Ross and I have seen a lot of the major London attractions, where at times I don't know what to do in my free time anymore.

Enter in Pinterest and Valentine's Day. I wanted to give Ross something that he can experience, something we can enjoy together. So after some searching, I came up with 12 dates we can do together or with a group {thank you, Pinterest!} each month. While Pinterest laid the foundation for the gift, Google really worked its magic in helping me determine the date ideas.

When searching for non-touristy activities or attractions, I learned a search for the city name + "date nights" {i.e. "London Date Nights"} yields the hidden gems of a city. So through the search, I got some unique ideas, like our golfing expedition in the heart of London.

Since Ross has his clubs in London but hasn't had the opportunity to use them, I decided to take him to Urban Golf for our February date and for our first Valentine's Day married {insert giddy school girl smile}. Urban Golf is an indoor golfing facility with simulators + classes.

Ross got to experience taking his golf clubs on the tube and hauling them through the crowded streets of Soho to a nondescript building {you'd never know this place was in Soho if you weren't looking!}. Anyway, he enjoyed the session and I got to sit, relax, and watch him have some fun :).

March's date takes us on an East End London food tour, so stay tuned for some yummy pics!